The Cursed Beast Caught My Leash - Chapter 18

The lineage of Peruno had continued for nearly a thousand years. Perhaps the influence of fanatics had played a part in sustaining it for so long.

“So, there are people who want you to have an heir,” Stella said.

“Yes,” Islay replied, unable to hide the look of disgust that crossed his face at the mere thought of them.

Even a man as strong as Islay had a group of people pressuring him to have children. It was not much different from the royal family where continuing the lineage was of utmost importance.

Stella felt a bit disheartened. Not too long ago, she had almost been forced into a union with Prince Hendrick, regardless of her wishes. To say it was a union would be an understatement; it was more accurate to say she had almost been violated. Even if there had been a marriage proposal, it would have been no different from being forcibly taken by the prince.

She wondered about the women who had to bear Peruno for a thousand years. Did they ever have a choice in sharing their lives with a man who would turn into a monster?

Lost in thought, Stella lowered her heavy eyelids. Suddenly, she noticed someone approaching.

“Excuse me,” a cute-looking boy said with a smile as he took a step closer. “Hello. I’m Aiden, training to be a guard.”

“……?”

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I greet Lord Peruno’s new bride?”

“…Bride?” Stella asked, dumbfounded. It took her a few seconds to process the words.

Bride? Me? The bride of a man who had abducted me and could harm me at any moment?

Stella didn’t know how to react to the absurd misunderstanding. She looked up at Islay, who seemed to find the situation quite amusing. He had no intention of clearing up the misunderstanding.

“Um, Miss Bride?” Aiden asked cautiously, his earlier smile faltering as he waited for a response. A few steps away, a group of boys around Aiden’s age watched them with curiosity. Stella swallowed hard before speaking.

“I’m sorry, but I am not Lord Peruno’s bride.”

Aiden tilted his head in confusion before nodding as if he understood. “Ah! You haven’t had the ceremony yet, so technically, that’s true.”

“No, I mean, I have no intention of having any ceremony,” Stella tried to explain.

“My apologies, Miss Bride. Is this your first time in Calis? If so, would you like to pay your respects to the Millennium Tree?”

Aiden’s black eyes sparkled with anticipation. Realizing that explaining further was pointless, Stella sighed and nodded reluctantly.

“Alright,” she said.

“You just need to place a flower in front of the statue and make a wish,” Aiden explained, handing her a white flower with a polite demeanor.

As Stella took the flower, Islay led her to the pavilion. Eyes of the Northerners followed them as they walked.

‘What is this about…?’ Stella thought, feeling her ears grow hot as she walked with a white flower in one hand and her other hand entwined with Islay’s arm. The absurdity of the situation made her wonder how ridiculous they must look.

“You look quite the sight,” Islay commented with a hint of laughter in his voice.

“It’s no wonder there are misunderstandings,” he continued. “They all remember the day you arrived at the Ice Castle.”

“…Oh,” Stella murmured, recalling the day she had been carried by him as they walked through the castle. Islay’s leisurely pace had drawn everyone’s attention.

“Why did you have to cling to me from the first day and create such misunderstandings?” Islay said, sounding amused.

“That wasn’t my intention…! Being called a bride is absurd. You’re the one who dragged me here and threatened me to find a gem I’ve never seen,” Stella retorted.

“What a shamelass bastard,” Islay said nonchalantly. “So, how does it feel to be walking arm in arm with such a bastard?”

“……!”

Stella quickly pulled her hand from his arm as they reached the pavilion. She hurried up the small steps without looking back at him.

Surrounded by candles, the tree-shaped statue was piled high with white flowers. Stella added her flower to the heap, then closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

‘Please, let me escape from here safely.’

When she opened her eyes after the sincere prayer, she was startled by Islay placing his flower.

“…Are you praying too?”

“Already did,” Islay replied.

“Can I ask what you prayed for?”

“I prayed that Estella doesn’t do anything foolish.”

Stella was taken aback and fell silent. By “foolish,” he probably meant her trying to escape Calis. He must have read her mind completely.

Islay extended his arm again. Reluctantly, Stella placed her hand on his arm and walked out of the pavilion. An uncomfortable silence hung between them.

With everything out in the open, pretending otherwise felt absurd. Conscious of the stares from all around, Stella cautiously broke the silence.

“Wouldn’t it have been better to pray to lift your curse?”

“Are you serious?” Islay laughed out loud. Even without looking, she could picture the amused expression on his face.

“If I could rely on prayers, I wouldn’t have thought to bring you to Calis in the first place.”

“Then you can’t stop me from doing something foolish, either.”

“Give it up. You won’t escape anyway,” Islay said lightly.

Suddenly, he grabbed Stella by the shoulders and pulled her toward him. Startled, she tensed up.

At that moment, men carrying heavy planks passed by them quickly, stirring the air so much that it made her hair flutter. It was unclear if Islay had pulled her to protect her from them or for some other reason.

“Just behave until I let you go, Estella. If you’re feeling cooped up, I’ll take you for a walk like this.”

His voice, rough yet surrounded by a strange warmth, whispered into her ear. Blinking, she slowly lifted her head. Their eyes met, and Islay smiled.

“Is there anywhere else you’d like to see? If you want to go into the city, we can do that too.”

“…No, I just want to go back inside.”

She had come out to familiarize herself with the surroundings, not to leisurely tour with the man who had abducted her.

“As you wish.”

Islay didn’t press her further, turning back toward the entrance to the inner castle. Their shoulders brushed as they walked side by side, drawing smirks from people busy with preparations for the Resting Festival.

As soon as Islay let go of her hand at the entrance, Stella grabbed her skirt and hurried inside, half running. Her heart was pounding. She wished she didn’t have to face him again.

But as always, things never went as Stella hoped.

***

Since that day, life had been relatively uneventful for a while. Stella gradually adapted to the repetitive routine. She found herself crying less at night and no longer flinched as much when encountering the Northmen, who resembled human weapons.

Though she wasn’t yet accustomed to the cold wind rushing through the open window or the sky turning pale when it snowed, she could look at it with less gloom. It was a feeling close to resignation.

One morning, she realized that the day Islay had invited her to dinner was fast approaching.

‘Dinner…’

Stella wasn’t used to attending formal meals. She had almost no social activities, so invitations to such events were rare.

According to her limited knowledge of etiquette, attending a formal dinner required wearing the most appropriate dress and bringing a gift to show appreciation to the host. When invited to Prince Hendrick’s villa, she had brought precious textiles produced only in Largo. Though she hadn’t prepared the gift herself.

Sitting at the table, Stella stared blankly at her wardrobe. Inside was the rose-colored, jewel-adorned dress Islay had given her on the first day.

But is she in a position to wear such a beautiful dress now? She had no means to prepare a gift for Islay, and even if she did, she wasn’t sure if it was appropriate to show such courtesy as a guest.

How did things come to this?

As she traced back the thread of memory, she remembered the unscrupulous man who had unceremoniously lifted her like a piece of luggage and shoved her into the carriage.

‘By now, the news must have reached Largo…’